BAFTA Scotland Awards Great Success

Robbie Coltrane, Peter Capaldi and Richard Wilson at BAFTA Scotland Awards. Photo Credit: Matt Dale

THE BRITISH Academy of Film and Television Arts Scotland Awards have come to a close for another year, with Robbie Coltrane picking up an accolade for Outstanding Contribution to Film and Donkeys and Neds both receiving two awards apiece.

Comedian Kevin Bridges presented the festivities which took place at the Radisson Blu in Glasgow, as guests enjoyed an evening celebrating the best of Scottish entertainment. Peter Mullan, who led the field with awards for Best Director and Best Writer for his gritty teenage drama Neds, seemed apprehensive as he arrived off the red carpet, telling The Student, “I’m a bit jaded, in the sense that I’ve been to too many (awards) and so don’t think you appreciate it as much.” However, he later retracted this statement following his win, where he emphasised his genuine surprise.

Upcoming Scottish actress Jayd Johnson impressed everyone as she came up to accept the award for Best Actor/Actress in Television, completely at a loss for words. As she told The Student afterwards, “I can’t believe I’ve just made a speech, I’ve no idea what I said but I’m really proud and honoured.”

With her co-actors Ford Kiernan and Peter Capaldi also being up for the award, she had nothing but praise for the other two, “Ford and Peter were so complimentary about me and I would have been nothing without them. I wouldn’t have won this if it wasn’t for them.”

James Cosmo was visibly moved at winning the award for Best Actor/Actress in Film, an honour that clearly meant a great deal to him. “I’m really, really chuffed; it’s a wonderful feeling. Making that movie (Donkeys) was a labour of love for everyone and I’m really privileged to be a part of it.”

Following a year’s absense of the event, Jude MacLaverty, Director of BAFTA Scotland said, “We’re thrilled to see the British Academy Scotland Awards return for such a fantastic night.” The evening was seen as a huge success, its revision from the Awards review evidently doing it justice. It also emphasised the importance for members of the Scottish creative industry to have their own national awards, as Robbie Coltrane told The Student, “I think that we acknowledge the talent we have here. There’s only 4 million of us, there’es three times that amount living in Manchester. Without sounding too smug, I think we do quite well.”

Taken from The Student, published Tue Nov 15th 2011.